Category C1 Quick Facts
The good news is, is that anyone who is 18 years or older and holds a Full UK Driving Licence can drive Category C1 HGV’s. The trend of older people having a career driving trucks for a living has changed and you will see many younger drivers both men and women applying for their HGV Provisional Licence. There was a conscious move to lower the age requirements from 21 years old to 18 years old as the average age of a HGV driver was in the mid 40′s
If you have passed your UK Car Driving Test before 1997 then you have automatically acquired C1 and the initial requirements of driver CPC are waived. Put simply, this means that you can drive a Goods Vehicle that’s Gross Vehicle Weight does not exceed 7.5 tonnes.
You can even tow a trailer just as long as the gross Vehicle Weight of this does not exceed 750KG. If you have passed your driving test after 1997 then you can only drive a truck with a Gross Vehicle Weight not heavier than 3.5 tonnes and a trailer up to 750KG.
As you can see, HGV driving opportunities are available to anyone.
